Former Man City boss emerges as contender for Man Utd job

Despite the excitement around the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as the club’s interim manager, Manchester United fans may have to wait a while yet to see their new man in action. 

The German is set to miss United’s game against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Thursday due to issues with a work permit, and it is now being reported that he may not take charge of a game for at least two weeks.

The former RB Leipzig was prised away from his upstairs role at Lokomotiv Moscow last week to take charge of the struggling Red Devils, on an interim basis.

The 63-year-old will guide the club for the remainder of the season, before stepping back into a director role for a further two years.

In the meantime, United will work on appointing a permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Mauricio Pochettino being touted as the most likely candidate.

Now, however, a former Manchester City manager is being linked with a shock return to the city, to take charge of the Red Devils.

As per the Telegraph, Robert Mancini, who guided the Citizens to their first ever Premier League title in the most dramatic fashion in 2012 at the expense of United, is now a contender for the role.

Could Mancini be heading back to Manchester?

The report suggests that the 57-year-old, who is currently managing the Italian national side, will not leave his current post before they have qualified for next year’s World Cup in Qatar, but could be tempted in the summer.

Italy are facing a play-off to reach the showpiece, having failed to qualify through the group stages.

Mancini also won an FA Cup and Community Shield during his time in England, and has won a total of nine trophies during several domestic spells in his homeland.

Arguably the pinnacle of Mancini’s career so far was last summer, however, as he guided Italy to Euro 2020 triumph, beating England on penalties in the final.

While Pochettino is still believed to be United’s number one target, the Paris Saint-Germain boss may prove too difficult to prise away from the French capital, meaning that Mancini could make a shock return to Manchester next summer.